Arm fatigue' ends Halladay's season, maybe Phillies career

MIAMI — Roy Halladay had shoulder surgery four months ago. Most pitchers in his position would have closed the book on that season and prepared for the next.

Halladay didn’t do that. He rehabilitated aggressively and got his shoulder to the point where he could pitch in September. But Monday night at Marlins Park, a gaunt, peaked, sweat-soaked Halladay had to be walked off the field by the training staff after 16 pitches, five of them strikes, none of them greater than 83 mph.

So ended Halladay’s season, and perhaps his tenure with the Phillies.

Although the official reason given for the departure was “arm fatigue,” there has been more to Halladay’s struggles to regain his form. And after the Phillies’ 4-0 loss to the Marlins, Halladay did acknowledge that there has been a non-structural factor interfering with his overall health.

“We have it figured out,” Halladay said. “Some of it is personal, but it’s a family history deal.”

While the right-hander didn’t want to get into the specifics, he said that after having his start prior to Monday’s delayed because of what were termed “flu-like symptoms,” he and his doctor went searching for a reason for a gastro-intestinal issue that has been giving him issues on and off every few weeks for months.

A check with his family revealed that his father had experienced a similar issue in his 30s.

“It took us a while to figure out the cause,” Halladay said, “and it basically comes down to diet, and they put me on some medicine that will prevent that from happening.”

It is the type of complication that Halladay couldn’t afford, because his attempt to return so quickly from shoulder surgery required all stars to be aligned in his favor. And regardless of what role his constitution played in his energy level, the fact remained that Halladay didn’t have any life in his arm.

Halladay threw four straight balls to Marlins leadoff hitter Donovan Solano to open the bottom of the first, and by the time he threw that fourth lifeless fastball there was sweat dripping from his face and hat even though the retractable roof at Marlins Park was closed and the air temperature inside was comfortable 77 degrees.

Ed Lucas popped out after the leadoff walk, but Halladay issued a five-pitch walk to Christian Yelich, the last pitch a 76 mph floater that had Dubee hustling to the mound.

At long last, Halladay reached a moment of acceptance.

“Yeah, I told him out there, ‘I don’t feel like I’m going to hurt myself, but I don’t believe that I’m going to get better as the game goes on,’” Halladay said. “I felt like over the past week, the fatigue factor – we tried to cut back on the bullpen to get some life back, and it just didn’t happen.

“The whole year, it has been stressful. Going from not knowing what’s going on, to surgery, to being away from the team, then being with the team and not being able to contribute … it all weighs on you. I think it will be good mentally and physically to get that break, then come back.”

After speaking with Sandberg and Dubee in the tunnel following his exit, Halladay called his shoulder surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who told him that he should shut down his throwing for a few weeks.

“He said after the surgery, and the whole process of coming back,” Halladay said of his talk with ElAttrache, “that he was surprised that I would last this long and not get tired sooner.”

The 36-year-old, who always has been lean for his 6-6 frame, seemed thinner from the moment he arrived for spring training, and nearly every writer who has followed this team – not to mention a few members of the Phillies’ organization, speaking off the cuff – expressed reactions ranging from surprise to shock at how thin Halladay was when he returned to the majors at the end of August.

There had been a handful of bouts with maladies like “flu-like symptoms,” and “stomach virus” stretching back to last season. Halladay had his last start delayed three days by “flu-like symptoms.”

Prior to the game, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. blew off questions about Halladay’s health beyond the structural integrity of his right arm.

“We’re obviously concerned about his health because of the virus stuff, but nothing other than that,” Amaro said. “I’m not concerned about (his weight).”

Not only did Amaro reject the suggestion that Halladay is dealing with something beyond the occasional bug, he sounded an opinion that he’d like to re-sign him for next season, at the right price.

“If we can come to some agreement, I’d love to bring him back,” Amaro said. “We’ll see what happens. We haven’t really talked much about (a contract). All I can say is that I’d love to have him back. There is risk to him, but I think he’ll be better. With the proper amount of rest this offseason … It’s hard to crystal ball it and figure out what kind of pitcher he’ll be, but I think he’s going to be better than what he is (presently). This could be all he is, but I think he’s going to be better.”

“It’s amazing that he’s back,” Amaro added. “He had significant surgery and he’s back after, what, three months? He’s rehabbed pretty aggressively. It tells you a lot about the person. He wanted to come out and compete … I think he felt like physically he didn’t have any pain. He might not have had his stuff or his strength or his arm slot consistently. But he felt like he wanted to go out there and compete, and if our doctors felt that it was something that was going to be detrimental to him, we wouldn’t have pitched him.”

While Amaro said there were internal discussions about whether Halladay returning from surgery this season was the wisest choice, he said he never played “devil’s advocate” to the pitcher’s insistence on getting back on the hill.

“He said he’s ready to pitch, and he pitched,” Amaro said. “We weren’t going to hold him back, especially if the doctor said he couldn’t do any damage … He’s still getting paid, he should pitch.”

He pitched, and it ended with 16 pitches, a pool of perspiration, and a 6.82 ERA.

It ended with Roy Halladay as a shell of what he was, but some acceptance that there wasn’t going to be an opportunity to change the ending of the story – at least in 2013.

“I don’t know what the future is going to hold,” Halladay said, “but I want to go somewhere that wants me and that has a shot (to contend). I hope that’s here.”